Curtain having supporting eyelets formed therein



N. GAINES 2,855,040

CURTAIN HAVING SUPPORTING EYELETS FORMED THEREIN Oct. 7, 1958 Filed 001:. 8, 1954 SEPARATION GROOVE 9 FIG. 2

NATHANIEL GAINES INVENTOR.

, United States Patent CURTAIN HAVING SUPPORTING EYELETS FORMED THEREIN Nathaniel Gaines, South Orange, N. J., assignor to Para Manufacturing Company Inc., Newark, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application October 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,093

1 Claim. (Cl. 160-330) This invention relates generally to the manufacturing of plastic shower curtains and the like and more particularly to a plastic shower curtain having supporting eyelets formed therein and the method of making same.

In connection with the supporting of certain curtains, in particular shower curtains, it has been customary heretofore to utilize metal grommets at the upper end into which conventional shower curtain rings could be fitted to slidably dispose the shower curtain on a shower curtain rod.

The present invention provides an improved method of making plastic curtains, plastic clothing such as raincoats and plastic shower curtains which eliminates metal grommets and still provides the necessary spaced reinforced eyelets or opening for support or for buttoning by utilizing the method of electronically heat-bonding and pressure sealing a plastic support strip transversely of any length of plastic material and simultaneously forming in the material and its support strip by means of the same bonding electrode the desired spaced openings; the desired spaced openings having a specific pattern including concentric and radial ridges formed of the bonded materials, at least one of said ridges formed about the periphery of the formed opening and at least one ridge spaced outwardly of said peripheral ridge but connected thereto by the radial ridges extending from the peripheral ridge to the outermost concentric ridge.

In addition the electronic heat and pressure sealing means is adopted to form the spaced eyelets in the support strip along the upper header portion thereof which is delineated simultaneously by the bonding electrode.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plastic curtain having spaced openings or eyelets so constructed and arranged that their individual pattern and shape will supportably carry the curtain during the exigencies of normal use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plastic curtain in which the spaced reinforced eyelets or openings are formed simultaneously with the dilineation of the upper support header of the curtain during the electronic heat bonding and pressure sealing of the support strip to the curtain body.

With this and other objects in view, as may appear from the accompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a curtain having supporting eyelets formed therein of a preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a fragment of two adjacent shower curtains embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-section taken through one of the openings or eyelets on line 2-2 of Figure l.

The present invention is particularly applicable to shower curtains because both the curtain body and its support header are made of plastic film or sheeting such Patented Oct. 7, 1958 as vinyl or the like plastic which materials are adapted to be electronically heat and pressure sealed.

Plastic, accordingly in the present description may mean any suitable plastic, and that up to 10 gauge will be termed plastic film while that in excess of 10 gauge is termed plastic sheeting. Generally, the curtain body material will be plastic film, while the support strip is plastic sheeting, it being understood that the type plastic or the gauge of the plastic will be empirically determined as best suits the particular application of the present invention.

Thus, referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a length of plastic film generally designated 1 having a supporting strip 2 of plastic sheeting electronically heat and pressure sealed thereto in the manner well known in the art and hence not more fully described.

While as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 the support strip 2 is set on the underside of the curtain face, it can be bonded to the top thereof or disposed between two pieces of the same material as is well known in the art of heat sealing.

The electrode (not shown) of the machine for bonding the supporting strip 2 to the material 1 is so constructed and arranged that during the heat sealing operation as pressure is applied to the electrode assembly, depressions, grooves and ridges are formed in the curtain and the supporting strip 2, as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.

By having the electrode thus formed, the depressions and ridges formed in the curtain and its supporting strip allows for the separation of one length of curtain material from the adjacent length of curtain material with finished edges at the separation point; and in addition provide through the annular ridges and circular depres- Thus referring to Figures 1 and 2, longitudinal depressions or grooves 4, 5 and 6 are formed in the curtain and support strip such that the depressions 4 and 5 are closer to one side of the supporting strip 2 while depression 6 is spaced therefrom and closer to the opposite side of the supporting strip. On the adjacent edges of depressions 4 and 5, longitudinal ridges 7 and 8 are formed having a very deep separation groove 9 therebetween.

The curtain material and the supporting strip are easily parted at the separation groove 9 to form two lengths of curtain, the upper or support header A having the more widely spaced depressions 5 and 6 with the ridge 7 acting as the finished upper edge of this curtain length while the lower header B will have the single depression 4 with the ridge 8 acting as the finished lower edge of the adjacent curtain length.

The lower header B is shown in Figure l to show the general relation between the upper and lower headers A and B for a single curtain length.

Supporting eyelet The supporting eyelets 3 are formed at spaced intervals along the upper header A of each length of curtain material between the depressions 5 and 6.

In the heat sealing operation a circular knockout piece 10 is established by a deep depression 11 which forms the individual eyelet or opening when the knockout piece is removed. About the depression or opening 11 are alternately spaced annular ridges and depressions 12, 13,

14, 15 and 16, 17 and- 18 respectively. The inner annular-ridge 12 is coincident and continuous with the periphery of the depression or opening 11. The remaining annular ridges 13, 14 and 15 while concentric with the peripheral ridge 12 are spaced outwardly therefrom, all of which is clearlyshown by Figures- 1 and-2 of the drawings.

Figure 1 further shows that the annular ridges 12, 13, 14 and 15, are connected by radiating ridges generally designated 19 disposed at spaced circumferential angles in a plane perpendicular to the annular ridges. The radiating ridges 19 extend from the peripheral ridge 1?. outwardly away from the depression or opening 11 connecting each of the annular ridges 12, 13, 14 and 15 to each other and traversing the annular depressions 16, 17 and 18 at these points to produce their intermittent annular appearance. The object of the radiating ridges isto lend strength to eyelet and to prevent distortion of the eyelet during use for example elongation of the eyelet by the weight of the curtain body.

This arrangement or structure for the eyelet can be varied as, for example, the opening 11 could be octagon or square and, similarly, the ridges and depressions could be varied to form an octagon or a square while the angular displacement of the radiating ridges could be similarly varied. These will depend on the empirical determination of the desired strength of construction. The present pattern illustrated has been tested and found to have suflicient strength to support a shower curtain during its normal use. It will be understood therefore that such varying of the shape of the opening 11, the concentric ridges or the angular distribution of the radial ridges can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that theymay be widely modified within the invention defined by the claim.

What is claimed is:

In a plastic curtain, an upper header-of plastic-material sealed in superposed relation adjacent one end of said curtain whereby one edge of said curtain and said header are in alignment with each other to provide in assembled position a single external edge for said curtain, said upper header extending the entire width of said curtain transversely of the length thereof, said curtain having spaced openings formed along said upper header, means providing supporting structure for said openings formed from said curtain and upper header including, concentric and alternately disposed ridges and grooves about each respective opening, ridges transverse to said concentric ridges and connecting said concentric ridges to each other, and at least one of said concentric ridges about each opening continuous with the periphery of its respective opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,281 Walden Mar. 21, 1905 1,188,424 Elliot June 27, 1916 1,881,038 Whitehouse Oct. 4, 1932 2,069,600 Coleman Feb. 2, 1937 2,205,466 Caprio et a1. June 25, 1940 2,239,630 Tendrich et a1. Apr. 22, 1941 2,244,565 Nast June 3, 1941 2,282,169 Cunnington May 5, 1942 2,616,823 Weymouth Nov. 4, 1952 2,652,352 Murray Sept. 15, 1953 2,677,376 Brunner May 4, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 728,933 Germany Dec. 7, 1942 

